Real estate brokerage licensing by state find your regulator, then verify

Same sequence everywhere—then localize

Wherever you open, the operating order is the same:

• Individual broker-level authority (or a designated qualifying / broker of record path)
• Firm / entity registration with the same real estate regulator when required
• Trust/escrow, advertising, and supervision controls under that jurisdiction’s rules
• Insurance, MLS/association choices, then systems and recruiting

State start guides

Start here. Each guide walks broker licensing and firm setup with links to that state’s official commission (last checked 2026-07-31). Full list: start a brokerage in your state.

• Arizona (AZ) — ADRE — [[/blog/how-to-start-a-real-estate-brokerage-in-arizona|Start a brokerage in Arizona]]
• California (CA) — DRE — [[/blog/how-to-start-a-real-estate-brokerage-in-california|Start a brokerage in California]]
• Florida (FL) — DBPR / FREC — [[/blog/how-to-start-a-real-estate-brokerage-in-florida|Start a brokerage in Florida]]
• Georgia (GA) — GREC — [[/blog/how-to-start-a-real-estate-brokerage-in-georgia|Start a brokerage in Georgia]]
• Illinois (IL) — IDFPR — [[/blog/how-to-start-a-real-estate-brokerage-in-illinois|Start a brokerage in Illinois]]
• Michigan (MI) — LARA — [[/blog/how-to-start-a-real-estate-brokerage-in-michigan|Start a brokerage in Michigan]]
• New Jersey (NJ) — NJREC — [[/blog/how-to-start-a-real-estate-brokerage-in-new-jersey|Start a brokerage in New Jersey]]
• New York (NY) — NY DOS — [[/blog/how-to-start-a-real-estate-brokerage-in-new-york|Start a brokerage in New York]]
• North Carolina (NC) — NCREC — [[/blog/how-to-start-a-real-estate-brokerage-in-north-carolina|Start a brokerage in North Carolina]]
• Ohio (OH) — Ohio REPL — [[/blog/how-to-start-a-real-estate-brokerage-in-ohio|Start a brokerage in Ohio]]
• Pennsylvania (PA) — PA REC — [[/blog/how-to-start-a-real-estate-brokerage-in-pennsylvania|Start a brokerage in Pennsylvania]]
• Tennessee (TN) — TREC — [[/blog/how-to-start-a-real-estate-brokerage-in-tennessee|Start a brokerage in Tennessee]]
• Texas (TX) — TREC — [[/blog/how-to-start-a-real-estate-brokerage-in-texas|Start a brokerage in Texas]]
• Virginia (VA) — DPOR / REB — [[/blog/how-to-start-a-real-estate-brokerage-in-virginia|Start a brokerage in Virginia]]
• Washington (WA) — WA DOL — [[/blog/how-to-start-a-real-estate-brokerage-in-washington|Start a brokerage in Washington]]

After you are licensed

Run the compliance audit checklist quarterly. File review: transaction file checklist. Money path: CDA guide.